Carrying a laptop on a bike | GTAMotorcycle.com

Carrying a laptop on a bike

shanekingsley

shanekingsley

Curry - so nice it burns you twice
Site Supporter
Forum Sponsor
Normally when I do a longer trip I take my iPad mini with me just to surf the web, check emails and watch Netflix before I pass out. However I find the iPad is impossible to plan routes with, and can't use it to load a route into my GPS, so if I create a new route for a day while on my trip, then I have to manually create the route in the GPS point by point. I'll also be parked for a week and having my laptop will be much nicer than a small iPad.

I have an older HP Probook 450 G3 with 500GB HDD and 8GB RAM, i5 @2.5GHz which I would like to take on a trip. It will be turned off while the bike is moving. Will a typical foam sleeve be fine for storing this in my top case or will the repeated vibrations and bumps cause problems with the internals of the laptop?

Thanks!
 
I'll be taking my old HP G60 for this trip, first time taking a laptop on a bike and have to for work reasons. I'm not taking too much care of it, mainly because it 10yrs old and if it breaks, i'll toss it in the garbage.

That said, I would say an SSD drive would make a difference as it has no moving parts and HDDs don't like too many vibrations, other than that the vibrations should be fine. I would place a layer of thin foam under it, and buy a laptop sleeve of amazon with the egg shell type cushion in it, something like this

I'm just going with a small laptop bag, strapped to the pannier rack
 
I always carry a laptop on long trips - for the same reasons you list Shane
plan/refine the day/trip over my morning coffee - send that to the GPS

only one I've found tough enough is my old thinkpad
durable build - titanium chassis connects the internals
killed a brand new Asus ultrabook on it's first trip

an SSD would be a good idea
 
MS Surface 3 or better is not a bad machine. Slow but functional as it runs real windows. You can probably get a 3 for not very much as it's old. Turn it off when it isn't plugged in. Battery life when idling is abysmal (~24 hours to dead). Do not consider a 2 or earlier, they sucked years ago (Windows RT blows).
 
Thanks.
Being a 15.6 laptop, I think it will be a bit heavy to keep in a backpack for long days and I prefer to save that weight/space for a hydration knapsack. I do have a plush laptop bag, but it takes up a lot of space and so I was hoping that a foamed sleeve would do. While this is an older laptop, I like it and would prefer not to kill it.
 
I have done it on trips and commuting. I have always gone with a backpack and never had a problem with vibration damage, other stuff went in the tank bag (commuting) or tank and saddles (travelling). Back up your data if it is important because regardless of where it is an unscheduled dismount could be the end of it. All my laptops have been lighter 13 or less inch models.

If you are really worried, a solid state drive is also a good idea (vibration wise) and they are not too expensive. It will also likely improve the performance of an older laptop quite a bit.
 
shanekingsley said:
Thanks.
Being a 15.6 laptop, I think it will be a bit heavy to keep in a backpack for long days and I prefer to save that weight/space for a hydration knapsack. I do have a plush laptop bag, but it takes up a lot of space and so I was hoping that a foamed sleeve would do. While this is an older laptop, I like it and would prefer not to kill it.
Click to expand...
If you want to take your computer, just pack creatively. Use sweaters/rain gear etc to make a squishy bed for your computer.
 
Took an inexpensive ASUS Vivobook flip down to Alabama & back last year in the bike's trunk.
I'm typing this response on it now.
It was packed in a sleeve inside a shoulderbag, with other stuff surrounding it.
 
Maybe look into older Chromebook which are basically tablets with keyboards attached, running Android to boot. Might be a very good option, light weight and large enough to satisfy.
 
One thing I did do, since the SSD in the Flip was so small, was to buy a 1TB on a big sale and use a USB conversion cable to plug it in to the laptop.
 
Thought you had a 13" Macbook :unsure: - foam sleeve is fine. Even with rotational drives when the heads lock they are not subject to vibration issues but in all cases shut the machine down - don't just sleep it. I always tour/travel with a laptop and the new ones are delightful, 3 lb, superslim...fits in my tank bag.
 
MacDoc said:
Thought you had a 13" Macbook :unsure: - foam sleeve is fine. Even with rotational drives when the heads lock they are not subject to vibration issues but in all cases shut the machine down - don't just sleep it. I always tour/travel with a laptop and the new ones are delightful, 3 lb, superslim...fits in my tank bag.
Click to expand...
Good memory. That laptop is a dedicated for music only. I use the older HP laptop for other stuff. Not really looking to buy a new or different laptop for this trip, so that's why I was asking about safely transporting the HP.
 
GreyGhost said:
MS Surface 3 or better is not a bad machine. Slow but functional as it runs real windows. You can probably get a 3 for not very much as it's old. Turn it off when it isn't plugged in. Battery life when idling is abysmal (~24 hours to dead). Do not consider a 2 or earlier, they sucked years ago (Windows RT blows).
Click to expand...
Anyone want surface rt? Lol mine is collecting dust.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom